Railway.



PATEN'I'ED JUNE 9, 1 903. 'E. STILES.

RAILWAY.

APBLIGATION FILED SEPT. 29, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

1M: "nuns mks co mom-urn UNITED STATES I'atented J'une 9, 1903.

EDYVARDSTILES, NEW YORK, N. Y.

- RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Iiette rs Patent No. 7 30,312, dated June 9, 1903. I I Application filed September- 29, 1902. Serial No. 125,196. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD STILES, a citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of the Bronx, in the city and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement Relatin g to Railways, of which the following is a specification.

The improvement relates mainly to the track, but also involves an improvement in the system of conducting the current between the car and electrical connections below.

I will describe the invention as applied to what is commonly known as a trolley-railroad, having a track so nearly coinciding with the common road that ordinary carriages may use the railroad-track as a part of the road.

I employ an eXtra rail extending along, parallel to the main rail and having a flange at the top which overhangs toward the main rail.

This extra rail is set a snfficient distance from the main rail to allow for the passage of the flange of the railway-car wheel between. I

provide a shield or cover in short lengths within the continuous slot thus produced, the lengths being pivoted at a lower line in the. space and adapted to open laterally by allowing the flanges of the wheels of the car as they extend down below the upperv surface of the rails to act in succession in moving the several short lengths of shield under the flange of the extra rail. '1 have also devised sundry improvements in the details of the track for applying this system and for equipping the wheels of the cars to serve therewith.

The main function of the apparatus is to form an effectiveand convenient electrical connection between an ordinary feed-wire extending along below and the electric motor. (Not shown .on the car.) Another function which may be performed without the main one in many cases isto provide a liheralpassage for the travel of the flanges of the wheels along the rail and yet to close such groove immediately the car has passed and hold it closed to exclude dirt and snow and allow carriage-wheels to run on it until the same or another car traverses again in the same or the opposite direction over this part of the track. I will in this specification describe it as adapted to serve both purposes.

the wheel, showing a modification.

sider the best means of carrying out the invention.

The accompanying drawings form a part of this specification.

Figure l is a plan view of a portion of the track on a small scale. Portions of three shields are shown with the parts in the closed condition ordinarily occupied. Fig. 2 is a cross-section on a sufficient scale to show the details. The strong lines show the shield defiected to one side by the passage of a wheel. lhe dotted lines show the closed condition. Fig. 3 is a corresponding section of a portion in another position. Fig. 4 is a plan view ot' one of the springs. Fig. 5 is a cross-section corresponding to Fig. 2, showing a modifica tion. Fig. 6 is a cross-section of a portion of Fig. 7 is a section showing a high point in the wheel and the brush in contact therewith.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures where they appear.

There are two separately-rolled rails, each having a lower edge adapted to engage strongly with a common supporting-base.

One (the main rail) has a tread A, a web A, and a thickened base A having a deep continuous open slot a extending its whole length, adapted to match on a support below.

,This'rail carries the load imposed by the carwheel H in traveling along the line. On the side presented toward the flange of the wheel (the right side in Fig. 1) is agrooye Ct, the purpose of which will appear farther on. Another rail alongside, of equal depth but considerably thinner, has a broad topB overhanging on the side toward the main rail A, the under side of the overhangbeing of curved outline in crosssection for a purpose which will presently appear. The web of this rail is marked B, and the base is thickened and slotted longitudinally, as indicated by 13 h I provide a strong base of rolled iron, presenting a broad horizontal portion D, adapted to be well supported on broken stone or other reliable foundation C. The base-piece D and each upright web D are adapted to engage with the correspondingly-divided bases A B? of the rails. I apply a small rope F, of fibrous material, or .it may be wood-shavings, to form ICO a slightly-elastic layer over the top of each web D and secure the rails to the webs by bolts Gand nuts G. The bolts should match the holes loosely, so as to admit of a slight elastic yielding due to the elasticity of the rope F.

The wheel H, which is one of the supporting-wheels of the car and has a flange H of about the ordinary size and shape, is equipped with a continuous circular contact piece or ringH which is connected by a suitable coutact-brush I above with the electric engine carried on the car. The engine may be any form of electric motor adapted for railroadcar service.

On the inner face of each rail A are brazed or otherwise secured at intervals stout brackets A each having a horizontal pin A cast therein. These pins form strong supports for the forked base of the rocking shield now to be described.

M is what I will term a shield, of which there are a succession in short lengths running the whole length of the track, each mounted on the pins A by means of forks M ,which extend from vertical webs M. Each shield receives a strong lateral force, urging it to the left in Fig. 1, from the tension of springs to be described farther on. The top M is of sufficient width to extend nearly across between the adjacent faces of the heads A and B of the two rails. Each shield is so adjusted that as it turns on the pins A the upper surface runs near but not in contact with the under surface of the corresponding head or overhanging part B of the extra rail. The top of each shield is narrowed at each end on the side which is presented toward the rail A to allow the flange H of the wheel H as itrapidly traverses along the line to easily engage the shield and force it away from the rail-head A. During the passage of each wheel the contact-ring H on the wheel is brought into electrical union with the contact-piece O on the shield, and a current flows freely from the feed-wire W upward to give the required strong action to the electric motor carried in the car. After the wheel has moved past the spring throws the shield back to its ordinary upright position. There is a considerable offset B on the under side of the top B of the extra rail, which serves as astop to receive the shield and arrest it if momentum or other force should tend to carry it too far. This is important in preserving from injury the delicate contents of the contactbox to be presently described.

The spring J is composed, as shown, of two fiat'pieces or plates of steel, properly bent and engaged together and loosely secured to the shield-web M and the extra rail-Web B, with liberty to roll a little as the parts assume different angles, while the shield is forced to one side by the passage of a wheel and allowed to returnto its usual position after the wheel has passed. I endeavor to so form and arrange the parts that the spring will exert a nearly-constant force, tending to vantages of the invention.

bring the-shield into the ordinary upright position, pressing against the side of the main rail-tread A. prefer that the angle assumed when the shield is most deflected shall be such as to more than balance the increased resilience due to the compression of the spring, and consequently the force pressing the shield toward the main rail shall be greatest when the parts are at rest and least when the wheel is passing. The surface of' the shield which is pressed against the rail-head A while the device is idle is the edge of the top M. The

surface along a line at a little lower level,

pressed against the electrical contact H" on the wheel H while the wheel is passing, is less prominent; but as the shield inclines the top retreats faster, so that the line considerably below, and not the extreme top of the shield, touches the wheel. This portion of the shield is equipped with insulating material N and a metal contact 0, both of which extend through a hole in the shield. The contact-strip 0, extending the whole length of M, is provided with a lateral arm It is electrically connected to a long coiled wire Q, which hangs loosely and allows for the motion while maintaining an efficient electrical connection to a sliding piece R, mounted in a closely-incasing contact-box B brazed or otherwise held on the web B.

A feed-cable l/V of anyordinary or suitable construction extends along in the bottom of the space between the webs D D and is connected by branch wires W with a beveled contact-piece X, fixed within the contact-box, having its upper face inclined to match the corresponding inclined lowerface of the sliding contact-piece R. A spring S holds the slide R out of contact under all ordinary conditions, and the contact-box l3 protects these important parts from all disturbing influences, the most important of which are mud and snow,which might otherwise destroy the action. At each passage of a car the shield M is turned on its supporting-pins A until its edge strikes the offset B In doing this the web M is pressed against the arm R of the slide R and moves the slide against the force of the spring S until the inclined faces of the moving contact R and of the fixed contact X are brought together and rubbed a little, 'so as to keep them always bright. As soon as the wheel has passed the shield M M M and the slide R R commence to return to their ordinary positions, and the circuit is again broken and remains open for any period until another wheel passes.

I attach importance to the form and proportions of the parts, especially making the upper portion M of the shield of a less breadth than the width of the space between A and B. This allows the shield to be taken out and reinserted.

Modifications may be made without departing from the principle or sacrificing the ad- I can vary the If there is any difference, I

IIO

position of the pivots A, making correspond ing changes in the other parts. I can support the shield by a bridge-piece extending across between the two webs A B, and such bridge may serve an important function as a distance-piece. Fig. shows such a modification. This figure also showsanother arrangement of the spring corresponding to the spring J in the form previously described. In this modification the shield is formed with a projection on the side toward the main rail A suitable to serve for an abutment for the spring at the bottom and the tread of the main rail is overhung, so as to form a square shoulder suitable for an abutment for the springat'the'top. In this arrangement the tension of the'spring orsprings is exerted downward and the spring serves the double out the whole.

function'of urging the shield into its proper upright position with the promptness and force required and also holding the shield down reliably in its bearin gs on the pins A.

Parts of theinvention may be used with- In the modification shown in Fig. 5 the contact box is dispensed with and the contacts are madeby two ordinary exposed arms adapted to make contact and also to slide. In this Fig. 5, Z indicates-the distance-piece. A indicates the square-bottomed head of the main rail;'J the spring or springs; M the top of theshield; M

the web, and M the arm or arms thereon which receive the tension, and R# audX# the contact-pieces.

Fig. 6 shows a modification in the provisions for carrying a contaot-ringandthe insulation thereof on the wheel." Inthis form the exterior of the contact-ring coincides with the outline of an ordinary Wheel, and the wheel thus equipped-will work" inprecisely the same manner as ordinary car=wheels in all situations,including switches and frogs. In this form H is the wheel; H the inner face of the flange; H, the contact-ring, and H the insulation. For this formshown inFi'g. G I prefer to use for the insulating material what is known in the trade as non-combustible fiber. Any insulating material 'may be used'for the other forms of the invention. The parts maybe kept in place by adapting the contact-ring to make a sufficiently tight gripand shrinking it in place on the wheel.

I claim as my invention '1. In an BlGGtliGlflilWtYythB main railA A A and a line of pivots A supported on such rail by means of-bra'ckets A and 'anextra rail parallel thereto'having atop B'extending inward partlyover the dividing-space,

in combination with each other and with an intermediate movable shield M made in short lengthseach having a web M and provisions for strongly supporting the lower edge of each length andallowingitrto rock on such support, arranged to be moved laterally by the action of the car-wheels and to be promptly returnedby other means after the car has passed, the upper surface of the shield being curved and the lower face of the top B curved to correspond to the motion, all' substantially as herein specified.

2. In an electric railway, the main rail and an extra rail parallel thereto having a top B extending inward partly over the dividingspace, in combination with each other and with an intermediate movable shield arranged to be moved laterally and to lie partially under such top by the presence of a car, and with provisions asaspring or springs for applying force to move the shield to cover-the space after the car has passed, and with an insulated contact-ringicarried on the carwheel, all adapted to serve substantially as herein specified. a

3. In'an electric railway, the main-rail and an extra rail parallel thereto, having a top B extending inward partly over the dividingspace, in combination'with-each other and with an intermediate movable shield arranged to be moved laterally and to lie partially under such top by the presence of a car, and

.with the loosely-fitted electrical connections Q and W W and the contact-box B andinclosed sliding contacts R and X, all arranged for joint service substantially as herein specified.

4. In a railway-track the foundation C, base I) and uprights D D," in combination with the main rail and an extra rail held at'a little distance parallel thereto, and the forked unions of the parts by the engagement of one between two parts of the other, arope F of twisted fiber inserted in each junction,.and V the bolts G extended through slightly-larger holes confining the parts with liberty for slight yielding by the elasticity of the packing-rope, all substantially as herein'specified'.

In testimony that I claim the'i'nvention above set forth I aflix my signature in presenceof two witnesses; r

' EDWARD srnlns.

-Witnesses:

J .13. CLAUTICE, M. F. BOYLE. 

